Because Reed Richards makes SO MUCH BETTER of a villain than a new villain. I'm sure that Stan and Jack found that the case... warp and distort an existing character instead of creating a BRAND NEW VILLAIN.

Yes, sometimes that didn't work, but sometimes it really did. Or is Marvel SO insular these days that they don't dare create new villains?

Evil Reed Richards... two things that just don't go together. Like President Trump.

As far as Marvel goes, I have been an outsider looking in for most of this century. And what I see from that position is a bunch of "creators" who seem able to do nothing more that a kind of repeated incestuous rehash. They seem to be people who do not care about the characters, or their history, and want only to create big, splashy "events" that will grab the attention of Civilians (who don't know any better) and piss off fans (who will buy them anyway).

Is this how it really is? I don't know. Like I said, I am an outsider looking in. But from that position I see nothing at all of the Marvel I used to know -- which, it can be said, was gone even before I left.

Agreed, Emery. I believe there may have been an evil Reed or two in Mark Waid's over-indulgent multiverse storylines as well. Can't say for sure as I've only read a couple of those issues and felt no need to go back for more.

As for the current state of Marvel, there is no sense of responsibility or stewardship. They do not believe in the value of the characters in any sense except monetarily and will happily strip-mine them for any perceived profit that may lie under the surface. They are stunt-generating dollar-bill-presses and not one thing more to the current hierarchy. If it looked profitable to have Aunt May strung up on-panel and eaten alive by cannibals, Marvel would not hesitate.

And right now, if this is being read by anyone there, they're smiling happily, because that sort of "Anything goes; OMG, what's next?" is exactly the perception they're trying to create in the world. As a corporate entity, Marvel would like to be seen as a Wild N' Crazy, Used-Car-Sellin' John Wayne Gacy. "Youuuuuu Don' Know Whut Might Happin Next, Do Ya, Pardner??"

Didn't we already get a parallel universe-transplanted Evil Beast from an X-Men plotline? I may be wrong, as I haven't read an X-Men book in decades, but it rings a bell.

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The Dr. Mengele-like Beast from the AGE OF APOCALYPSE timeline managed to somehow escape the destruction of that reality and cross over to the main timeline, where he'd pop up as the occasional villain.

"Ultimate Wolverine, aka Jimmy Hudson, is also running around in the Marvel Universe"

Is this correct? So Marvel's resolution of the major Death of Wolverine event is to have three versions of the character active now - X-23, Old Man Logan, and whatever alt-universe version this is supposed to be. I remember a speech Frank Miller made 20 or 30 years ago about the industry strip-mining the material until nothing was left; looks like Frank was being prophetic, not antagonistic.

As far as Marvel goes, I have been an outsider looking in for most of this century. And what I see from that position is a bunch of "creators" who seem able to do nothing more that a kind of repeated incestuous rehash. They seem to be people who do not care about the characters, or their history, and want only to create big, splashy "events" that will grab the attention of Civilians (who don't know any better) and piss off fans (who will buy them anyway).

Is this how it really is? I don't know. Like I said, I am an outsider looking in.

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For the most part JB, that is indeed how it is. However, the pissed off fans are finally dropping the books and the plummeting sales of Marvel comics are reflecting the fan discontent with the product. Marvel these days are also a victim of being enamored with Hollywood and the tail wagging the dog backwards form of synergy.